I don't know if the Quaran has changed and I don't know if the new testament has changed..I guess that's one of my problems...
The original new testament manuscripts are missing. We only have copies...The Quaran is in it original Aramaic language...the same language they use to today...in Hebrew and Greek one word can have two differant meanings and That's why you may see bible contradictions or it just dont make sense...
So much to say here =o). It's good to have a working knowledge of how we got our Bible using sources outside of the Bible, or we just look silly using perpetual circular reasoning using the Bible to prove that the Bible is true. Ironically, the fact that such a document written over so many centuries by so many different men has such continuity does count for a lot in proving its validity, but since it has been handled by mankind through the ages, an external examination is not unreasonable.
Regarding Original Manuscripts/Canonization
Regarding the Old Testament: Scribes of the Scriptures of Israel were noted perfectionists. There is not much question that the OT Scriptures have been closely guarded through the ages, even when translated into Greek over the 200 B.C - 100 C.E. era. There of course is debate over modern translations, but that is a different issue, and one I'll address in a bit.
Regarding the New Testament: We have so many copies (MSS) of the New Testament Scriptures because as the Body of Christ grew, they made copies of Apostolic letters and passed them around to area churches. There are a couple of different 'streams' of manuscripts that have been identified over time, and the study and evaluation of those manuscripts is called, "Textual Criticism". The differences are minor (though there are those who, with the propensity to make mountains out of molehills, would disagree), and do not affect doctrine. The texts of ancient NT manuscripts VASTLY agree with each other. Following are some resources that address the issues around Textual Criticism and whether or not we can rely on the Bible we have today in its original languages.
Since it seems that some doubts are coming from a Muslim source, I'll put this resource first, though the following resources are a bit easier to sort through and are a bit more comprehensive, in my opinion:
- Course Description 3
- Introduction to “How We Got the Bible” 4
- Revelation: God Has Spoken 5
- Inspiration: The God-breathed Scriptures 8
- Structure and Divisions of the Bible 11
- The Making of the Bible 17
- Canonicity: Determining and Discovering the God-inspired Books 20
- Development of the Old Testament Canon 23
- Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha 28
- Development of the New Testament Canon 36
- New Testament Antilegomena, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha 42
- Texts and Manuscripts of the Old Testament 44
- Texts and Manuscripts of the New Testament 47
- Textual Criticism 51
- History of the English Bible 53
- Recommended Books 62
- Bibliography 63.
You don't need to read it all the way through (though it is very good information to have!); it's organized in such a way that you can glean the information that you feel you need.
Regarding Definitions/Meanings of Words
Much is made of this issue from religion to religion and from sect to sect.
When there is more than one definition for a word (and this is not uncommon in any language), context determines meaning.
- Is the word a noun or a verb or an adjective, etc. (wind the watch -or- the wind blew)?
- Is the word (in its context) concrete or abstract (he was a member of the Smith family -or- the Smiths were like family to him)?
- In what era does the word defined appear (concepts of salvation, repentance, priest, servant, and son in relation to God in the Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant, for example)?
These issues of grammar, concepts and more come into the picture when determining the contextual meanings of words, verses, passages, chapters, letters/books, and the Scriptures as a whole.
NOTE: Be careful not to go to, or let someone take you to, root words in either the English or the original languages to define what actually appears in a Scripture. Interpretive fallacies called 'Root Word Fallacy' along with 'Selective Use of Meaning' are widely used among sects to manipulate Scriptures to mean something that context and the actual word appearing in a text actually means. From
this article, which would be beneficial to read in full, items 4 and 6:
4. Etymological root fallacy: Looking to the root etymology of a word to discover its meaning.
The problem with this is that etymology can often be deceiving, such as in the English word “butterfly” taken from “butter” and “fly.” An etymological study of this word only confuses the current usage. The same can be said of the word “good-bye,” which is taken from the Anglo-Saxon, “God be with you.” When someone says “good-bye,” it does not necessarily (if ever) mean that they are calling a blessing of God’s presence to be with you.
From D.A. Carson’s Exegetical Fallacies:
“One of the most enduring fallacies, the root fallacy presupposes that every word actually has a meaning bound up with its shape or its components. In this view, meaning is determined by etymology; that is by the roots of a word. How many times have we been told that because the verbal cognate of apostolos (apostle) is apostello (I send), the root meaning of “apostle” is “one who is sent.”? In the preface of the New King James Bible, we are told that the literal meaning of monogenes is “only begotten.” Is that true? How often do preachers refer to the verb agapao (to love), contrast it with phileo (to love) and deduce that the text is saying something about a special kind of loving, for no other reason than that agapao is used?
All of this is linguistic nonsense. We might have guessed as much if we were more acquainted with the etymology of English words. Anthony C. Thistleton offers by way of example our word ‘nice’, which comes from the Latin nescius, meaning “ignorant.” Our “good-by” is a contraction for Anglo-Saxon “God be with you.” It is certainly easy to imagine how “God be with you” came to be “good-by.” But I know of no one today who in saying that such and such a person is “nice” believes that he or she has in some measure labeled that person ignorant because the “root meaning” or “hidden meaning” or “literal meaning” of “nice” is ‘ignorant’.”
6. Selective use of meaning: Selecting the meaning you like best.
This is like the illegitimate totality transfer in reverse. Instead of the word carrying all the possible nuances, the interpreter will select which nuance he or she likes best. We must remember that the context determines the nuance, not the interpreter.
The Hebrew/Greek Bait and Switch
When looking at Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek words, be careful not to try to (or let others) switch Hebrew/Aramaic for Greek and Greek for Hebrew/Aramaic. Some sects will take NT Scriptures (originally penned in Greek) and try to replace key Greek words with Hebrew words to change the shades of the meaning of that verse. Since Hebrew was a more concrete language, and Greek is a more abstract language, this often ends in confusion and a mutilation of what God ordained to be communicated.
Which brings us to translations. I wrote
another post about that here at CC . Click the link for that =o).
I hope that is helpful to you. I just want to encourage you to put your eyes back on Christ. And don't feel bad. When Peter took his eyes of Christ, he sank like a rock. Continue to search out
why you believe
what you believe; that's a good thing. Take heart - those of us who have walked your path have found the Scriptures to be sound, and better still, have found that He Who inspired them is real and faithful. The paper Bibles that most of us possess today could all disappear tomorrow, yet HE will remain.
In the midst of the doubts, don't underestimate the Living God inside of you. He's there to help =o):
6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (from Col. 2)
Grace and peace to you,
-JGIG